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Boston butt drama
Posted on 7/27/24 at 7:32 pm
Posted on 7/27/24 at 7:32 pm
Put a 9lb butt on the pellet grill last night around 9 at 225°.
Temp probe in and woke up this morning and it’s around 170°. I melted some butter and mixed in some tiger sauce and mopped it down. I was trying to get close to 200°.
After about 18 hours it hit 197° and I pulled it.
Stuck it in the oven and once it was time to eat I put the oven on 170° about an hour before so it could get warm and then I pulled it. After I pulled it and added some more seasoning, I tasted it. And it’s dry. Not bad but I was disappointed.
Was it heating it up in the oven? I didn’t wrap during the stall but I never do and it turns out fine.
I’m just trying to figure out where I went wrong.
I’ll also add that this is my first butt that I payed attention to temp. Normally I just go by looks and feel.
Temp probe in and woke up this morning and it’s around 170°. I melted some butter and mixed in some tiger sauce and mopped it down. I was trying to get close to 200°.
After about 18 hours it hit 197° and I pulled it.
Stuck it in the oven and once it was time to eat I put the oven on 170° about an hour before so it could get warm and then I pulled it. After I pulled it and added some more seasoning, I tasted it. And it’s dry. Not bad but I was disappointed.
Was it heating it up in the oven? I didn’t wrap during the stall but I never do and it turns out fine.
I’m just trying to figure out where I went wrong.
I’ll also add that this is my first butt that I payed attention to temp. Normally I just go by looks and feel.
9
Posted on 7/27/24 at 7:57 pm to CrawfishElvis
quote:
pulled it. Stuck it in the oven and once it was time to eat
How long was it in the oven? Assuming the oven was off.
Posted on 7/27/24 at 8:20 pm to CrawfishElvis
Maybe try the crutch at around 150-170 to speed it up and keep from getting dry. Wrap in foil or parchment paper with tablespoon or two of apple juice, cider or water.
I did a butt last weekend and didn’t wrap and it turned out good not too dry, but with butts you never know. They can vary.
I did a butt last weekend and didn’t wrap and it turned out good not too dry, but with butts you never know. They can vary.
Posted on 7/27/24 at 8:42 pm to CrawfishElvis
quote:
I’m just trying to figure out where I went wrong.
quote:
around 170°. I melted some butter and mixed in some tiger sauce and mopped it down.
Evaporative cooling in BBQ is bad. It kept it from getting to your 200F.
Posted on 7/28/24 at 8:16 am to CrawfishElvis
I usually take it off when it hits 200 and wrap it with foil and towels and place in a cooler if I’m not going to eat it for a while. You’d be surprised that it will still burn your hands if you don’t use gloves hours later when you pull it
Posted on 7/28/24 at 8:27 am to Coater
quote:
burn your hands if you don’t use gloves hours later when you pull it
Throw that in the kitchen aid mixer. Never shred one by hand again.
Posted on 7/28/24 at 9:42 am to BoogaBear
quote:
Throw that in the kitchen aid mixer. Never shred one by hand again.
Can you explain the process?
Posted on 7/28/24 at 10:01 am to chryso
Break it into 2 or 3 big pieces, put it in the mixing bowl, and I use the dough hook attachment on low for a couple minutes, until it's shredded. Easy peasy, and I don't have to frick around for 15 minutes shredding it by hand.
Posted on 7/28/24 at 10:09 am to chryso
I’ve never done it for a pork butt, but I have used a mixer with the paddle attachment for chicken that I poached. Turn the mixer on low / medium speed and it will shred it easily. With a pork butt, you’d have to do several batches.
Posted on 7/28/24 at 11:24 am to CrawfishElvis
Same here. 2 butts on the smoker for 10 hrs and barely 150°. Wrapped it in butcher paper but they still didn’t want to budge after 3 hours. Resorted to the oven where it got it to 203° in about 1+10. I’ve never wrapped mine and haven’t had any problems getting them to cook in 10 hours.They turned out great but I want to try the dough hook method of shredding 
until these.
until these. 
Posted on 7/28/24 at 12:22 pm to CrawfishElvis
My wife's brother won a bbq contest in a small Georgia town after accidentally overcooking his boston butt, so instead of submitting pulled pork, he sliced it deli thin with a filet knife and submitted it sliced. He figured he'd come in last place, he won the damn thing. Butts are forgiving, if it's dry and tough, just slice it thin and replace the lost moisture with extra sauce.
This post was edited on 7/28/24 at 12:26 pm
Posted on 7/28/24 at 12:56 pm to SUB
quote:
I’ve never done it for a pork butt, but I have used a mixer with the paddle attachment for chicken that I poached. Turn the mixer on low / medium speed and it will shred it easily.
Yes! Kitchen aid paddle will shred chicken like a pro.
No reason it wouldn't work with pulled pork other than the volume of meat.
Posted on 7/29/24 at 9:14 am to CrawfishElvis
Just a few observations:
quote:This just seems like a really long time. Not sure what would cause this.
After about 18 hours it hit 197° and I pulled it.
quote:Had it cooled down? I guess i am confused by this part. If a piece of smoked meat I have cooked has already reached the end, the oven part is going to be 135 because that's my lowest setting.
Stuck it in the oven and once it was time to eat I put the oven on 170° about an hour before
Posted on 7/29/24 at 9:23 am to deeprig9
quote:
just slice it thin and replace the lost moisture with extra sauce
Forget the sauce. Put it in a foil pan after 6 hours on the smoker to collect the rendered fat and mix that juice back in with the pork after you shred it.
Posted on 7/29/24 at 10:45 am to AUHighPlainsDrifter
I've never had issues with dry pulled pork or shredding it by hand. Not sure why everyone keeps acting like it's hard. It's not. Pulled pork is the easiest recipe as long as you can keep your temperature constant. It's all about time and temperature. Be sure to keep any melted fat that you get in the pan while you pull it or after you pull it off the smoker. Fat is flavor.
As far as "never knowing with butts", the only thing I could apply this to would be cooking time. Sometimes it just takes a little longer due to your heat source not being steady. All butts are the same in my experience, realitve to the size.
If you are cooking the day before and reheating the next day, a small amount of apple juice can help during reheating. You don't need much, just enough to add a little steam while heating.
As far as shredding, I usually start with 2 serving spoons or spatulas. Simply start to break it up with the utensils and let it cool slightly. Then go in with your hands and finish it if needed. It doesn't take long. Shredding it in batches in a mixer just seems pointless. If you're having trouble shredding your pork, you didn't cook it right. If you are trying to shred it into millions of tiny strands, you are shredding it wrong.
We still don't know about your oven process. You pulled it, and then what did you place it in? Was it covered? If so, with what? How long did it sit in the oven (assuming it was off) before you turned it on to 170?
When you had it on 170, did you have foil on top? Always keep it covered to keep mositure in but if you have pork near the foil on top, that foil will heat and can dry the pork out. Use plastic wrap. I've mentioned this before and the trolls downvoted. Plastic wrap can be used to reheat in the oven at 200 or below. It won't heat up like aluminum foil and the top of the meat.
As far as "never knowing with butts", the only thing I could apply this to would be cooking time. Sometimes it just takes a little longer due to your heat source not being steady. All butts are the same in my experience, realitve to the size.
If you are cooking the day before and reheating the next day, a small amount of apple juice can help during reheating. You don't need much, just enough to add a little steam while heating.
As far as shredding, I usually start with 2 serving spoons or spatulas. Simply start to break it up with the utensils and let it cool slightly. Then go in with your hands and finish it if needed. It doesn't take long. Shredding it in batches in a mixer just seems pointless. If you're having trouble shredding your pork, you didn't cook it right. If you are trying to shred it into millions of tiny strands, you are shredding it wrong.
We still don't know about your oven process. You pulled it, and then what did you place it in? Was it covered? If so, with what? How long did it sit in the oven (assuming it was off) before you turned it on to 170?
When you had it on 170, did you have foil on top? Always keep it covered to keep mositure in but if you have pork near the foil on top, that foil will heat and can dry the pork out. Use plastic wrap. I've mentioned this before and the trolls downvoted. Plastic wrap can be used to reheat in the oven at 200 or below. It won't heat up like aluminum foil and the top of the meat.
Posted on 7/29/24 at 6:48 pm to Havoc
quote:
Wrap in foil or parchment paper with tablespoon or two of apple juice, cider or water.
You don't want parchment paper. It is not the same as butcher paper.
Parchment paper has some kind of a wax added to it. Butchers paper doesn't.
Posted on 7/29/24 at 8:37 pm to SixthAndBarone
I’ve done A LOT of butts. This one was the weirdest. Pull from smoker and left it whole while I stuck it in the oven. Sides took a little longer than expected and waiting on people to come over. So it sat, in a pan, for about 3 hours. About an hour before I knew we’d be eating I set my oven on 170° (my lowest setting) for maybe an hour. Then took it from the oven and pulled the meat.
It was kinda dry. Like I said, not crazy dry, but drier than I wanted it to be.
Oddly enough, heating it up in the microwave for leftovers, it seems a lot more moist.
Idk. I’ve never had this issue and even consider myself pretty good and cooking a butt. This one was just a little off from the rest.
It was kinda dry. Like I said, not crazy dry, but drier than I wanted it to be.
Oddly enough, heating it up in the microwave for leftovers, it seems a lot more moist.
Idk. I’ve never had this issue and even consider myself pretty good and cooking a butt. This one was just a little off from the rest.
Posted on 7/29/24 at 8:44 pm to deeprig9
Went to a friend's BBQ one time who had a buddy cooking that competed. Thought this was my chance to learn secrets! Pulled pork hit 203, let it set for an hour, pulled it, and then to my shock, poured a bunch of KC Masterpiece in and mixed it up.
He said nobody gives a shite how you cook it if it taste great.
He said nobody gives a shite how you cook it if it taste great.
Posted on 7/29/24 at 8:44 pm to CrawfishElvis
If you have done a bunch of butts then write it off as an anomaly and move on.
Posted on 7/29/24 at 8:45 pm to Norla
quote:
You don't want parchment paper. It is not the same as butcher paper.
Parchment paper has some kind of a wax added to it. Butchers paper doesn't.
Heath Riles won Memphis in May and says parchment paper and butcher paper are interchangable for this purpose.
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